Target: The Land of Water

"He inherited Magnet Release?"

Kabuto Yakushi finally understood why Orochimaru called him the perfect disciple and vessel. Magnet Release was a secret art that Sunagakure did not pass on to outsiders. The Third Kazekage had earned the title of "strongest Kazekage" precisely because of this Kekkei Genkai, and his successor Rasa had also seen his reputation in Sunagakure soar because of it. His possession of this Kekkei Genkai had surely played a part in his becoming the Fourth Kazekage.

"Heh heh heh, no! Shun-kun doesn't have the Kazekage's bloodline. If anything, he only has the constitution of the Uzumaki Clan."

Orochimaru shook his head, an unusual light in his vertical snake eyes.

"Shun-kun's Chakra has three natures: wind, earth, and lightning. Ever since he followed me to the base, he's asked me about the nature and shape transformations of all three day and night."

"I must say, Shun's talent for Ninjutsu is truly astonishing. Sometimes even I feel inferior."

"It's not just that Shun-kun can master any Ninjutsu as soon as he learns it, to say nothing of his passion for Ninjutsu and his diligence in training."

"What's even rarer is..."

Orochimaru glanced at the crystal ball and spoke with feeling.

"The rarest thing is that he's never been bound by a ninja's way of thinking!"

"Perhaps that really is why! He doesn't just stop at using Ninjutsu. Once he understands the principles behind it, he builds on them and creates something new, developing quite a few interesting techniques!"

"Many of his ideas have been quite inspiring to me as well!"

Kabuto Yakushi's eyes lit up. He knew how proud Orochimaru was of his Ninjutsu research. Orochimaru seldom praised others, yet today he had spoken so highly of this young disciple.

"And I watched Dōmeki-kun develop that Magnet Release step by step, right before my eyes, by combining Wind Release and Earth Release Chakra!"

"And that's not all!" Orochimaru couldn't help licking his lips. "He's also trying to incorporate Lightning Release Chakra into Magnet Release, and he already named this Kekkei Tōta, which has never appeared in the Shinobi World before: Super Electromagnetic Release!!!"

"I rather admire that kind of arrogance and ambition in a young man."

"Ambition and genius?"

Through the crystal ball, Kabuto looked at Dōmeki Shun's almost excessively young face. He pushed up his glasses and smiled as he congratulated Orochimaru.

"Then congratulations, Lord Orochimaru. You finally have another blade of the finest edge!"

"Heh heh heh."

Orochimaru nodded proudly as well. Suddenly, he thought of something and asked the silver-haired young man, "Kabuto, has that information been confirmed?"

After Kabuto Yakushi, the master spy and intelligence expert, confirmed it, a strange light flashed in Orochimaru's eyes. He then gave Kabuto Yakushi an instruction.

"Kabuto, please go tell Dōmeki-kun that I have a mission for him!"

Kabuto Yakushi's heart stirred. "You mean..."

"It's time to let Dōmeki-kun show the Shinobi World how brightly he shines!"

In the training ground, which had been reduced to rubble.

The Sound Four, charred black all over and still puffing black smoke from their mouths, looked with a flash of fear at the red-haired brat squatting before them. With evident interest, he was skillfully using Medical Ninjutsu to treat their injuries.

"Brat..."

"No, Dōmeki..."

"We can't help feeling..."

"The current that hit us..."

The brothers Sakon and Ukon watched the other three struggle to their feet, each taking turns to question Dōmeki before their voices joined together.

"Was a lot stronger than what hit everyone else!!!"

"Just your imagination!" Dōmeki squatted innocently before Sakon and Ukon, who were lying on the ground, unable to move, and looked down at them as he spoke.

"Surely I wouldn't have singled you out for special treatment just because you seniors treated me badly when I was new!"

The boy narrowed his eyes and casually swept his gaze over everyone present. "I trust no one here thinks I'm petty, do they?"

"Revenge! That's definitely revenge!"

Everyone shouted inwardly at once, while silently swearing never to offend this petty brat again.

Just as an awkward silence filled the entire ruin, a voice suddenly rang out, saving everyone from the situation.

"You must be Dōmeki Shun!"

Dōmeki jerked his head up and saw a handsome silver-haired young man standing nearby. The young man wore a warm smile, and beneath his round glasses he had a gentle, scholarly air. At first glance, anyone would have taken him for a harmless, friendly older boy from next door!

"May I call you Shun-kun?" The young man walked up to the red-haired boy and introduced himself softly, with an air that made people want to get close to him. "You may not know me, Shun-kun. I'm Kabuto Yakushi, also Lord Orochimaru's assistant and disciple!"

Dōmeki's eyes narrowed for an instant. Of course he knew who the silver-haired young man was, perhaps even better than Kabuto himself did.

Kabuto Yakushi, a famous spy and intelligence expert, a Medical Ninjutsu prodigy, the best assistant and successor to the Shinobi World's greatest scientist, an inheritor of the Ryūchi Cave sage arts, a future master of making dreams come true in the Fourth Shinobi World War, and the man who would eventually become director of the Konoha orphanage.

Facing this senior fellow disciple, whose acting was flawless and who had perfectly inherited Orochimaru's insidiousness, Dōmeki put on the brightest smile and called obediently to Kabuto Yakushi, "Big brother Kabuto!"

For a moment, the faces of his younger brothers and sisters at the orphanage appeared in Kabuto Yakushi's mind. He immediately forced himself to calm down.

Had he not already learned about the boy's personality from Lord Orochimaru and the crystal ball, Kabuto Yakushi thought he might really have been taken in by the boy's innocent act.

Even so, Kabuto couldn't help developing some fondness for the boy.

"Big brother Kabuto!" Dōmeki had no idea what was going through Kabuto Yakushi's mind. With a boy's curiosity, he enthusiastically bombarded Kabuto with questions.

"Where have you been all this time? How come I've never seen you before?"

"Ah, I was in the Land of Fire on a miss-"

"The Land of Fire? I heard it's a really prosperous place!"

"Yes, more so than the Land of Rice Fields-"

"Then you must have been to Konoha, big brother Kabuto, right? Do you have any pictures of Hokage Rock?"

"I also heard about Konoha's Ichiraku Ramen..." Dōmeki chattered on and on.

Listening to the boy's rapid-fire questions, even Kabuto Yakushi found him a little hard to handle. He rubbed his forehead, feeling a headache coming on, and hurriedly interrupted him.

"Shun-kun! I came today with an order from Lord Orochimaru." As soon as the words left Kabuto Yakushi's mouth, the boy's eyes lit up.

"Does that mean I can go out?" Dōmeki had spent so many years in the underground base that he was starting to feel cooped up. The Shinobi World was so big, and Dōmeki Shun wanted to see it too!

"That's right!" Kabuto Yakushi nodded with a touch of indulgence. Shun-kun really is still a child!

"Then the destination is..."

"The Land of Water!!!"